Women’s soccer team dehorns Fordham

Sports

On Sun. Oct 9, the Lasalle Explorers women’s soccer team faced off against the Fordham Rams. The Explorers came into the game 6-6-1 in the season (1-4 in conference play), while the Rams came in with a record of 4-7-1 (3-1-1 in conference play). The Explorers’ early success in the season came to a halt midway through the season, grinding their momentum to a screeching halt. This is the first win over The Explorers fell into a mid-season slump, drawing and losing essential games. After a loss to Duquesne, the Explorers were put into a “do or die ” situation if they wanted any sort of shot at a postseason run. Luckily for the Explorers, that is just what they got with this win.

The game was off to a quick start, with both sides trading shots and attempts at goals. Despite this, no team was able to find the back of the net. It was not until the 34th minute that Junior midfielder Kelli McGroarty was able to get the ball past the goalkeeper from 25 yards out, putting the Explorers up 1-0. This goal sparked momentum within McGroarty, as 5 minutes after, she was able to take the ball from the Fordham defender and was able to find the back of the net in the 38th minute, putting the Explorers up 2-0. Not even 3 minutes later, McGroarty was able to complete her hat trick after a pass into the box came from Sophomore midfielder Sunni DiElmo which McGroarty was able to strike into the net, putting the Explorers up 3-0. McGroarty’s hat trick happened in a span of six minutes and 54 seconds. The Explorers outshot the Rams 11-4 in the first half. The Explorers went into halftime leading 3-0.

The second half of the game was much slower than the first, with only a few shots being exchanged between both teams. In the 53rd minute, Sophomore midfielder Gabby Picco drew a yellow card after a personal foul on the rams, and in the 72nd minute, a Fordham player drew the first yellow card for her team after a personal foul. The game continued like this until the 80th minute, after a Ram midfielder drew the first goal of the game for the Rams, putting them at a 3-1 disadvantage. The Explorer’s defense would continue to stop the Rams, only allowing them to get off 6 shots in the half, while the Explorers shot seven times. The Explorers outshot the Rams 18-10 in the game.

In a post-game interview, the player of the match, Kelli McGroarty, stated, “This win is definitely momentum. We dropped the ball halfway through the season. There were a couple of games early on that we probably should have won, but this game put us back on track. Unfortunately, we have to win out from now on, so this is definitely a helpful game to move us forward in the conference.” Regarding the fact that the team must win from here on out, McGroarty stated, “Our situation is what we call ‘do or die.’ It’s not the situation we want to be in because we’d rather have some wiggle room. We’re in an alright situation right now, we don’t have to rely on other teams [winning or losing], which is good. Also, if you look at the standings and the schedule we have left, we should win, and that should help boost us up in the ranking. This means we potentially have an excellent chance of making the playoffs.”

When asked about the playoffs and their chances of making a long playoff run, McGroarty stated, “We’ve been manifesting A-10s since last year; as soon as the season ended, we were saying it. I think that the chances of us winning are still high. I think our hardest game would be St. Louis, if we make it to the finals, it would probably be us against them, and the game would probably be away, which is good because we do better on the road. Essentially, we have very good hopes.” McGroarty’s hat trick during this game was her first-ever hat trick, and the excitement within McGroarty was palpable. When asked how this is going to influence her, McGroarty stated, “It was a pretty cool feeling. The first goal had fallen down, and when I saw it go in, I just put my head down, and I remember saying, ‘thank God. I have been in a sort of drought since the beginning of the season. I had a few early on, but then I kind of stopped, so it was a nice little pick-me-up. But also, it just proved that when we take shots, they go in, which is something we have been working on as a team [attacking overall]. So, we also did really well with that, we had 11 shots in the first half, and they only had four. That’s a big statement as to why we had so many goals this game.” When asked about the rest of the season, she stated, “the rest of the season looks good. The cards are on our table. We need to win. But you know, things can go south all the time, we had a game where we were up 1-0, and we lost 4-1 (referring to their loss against St. Louis), Everything can change in an instant, so we just have to keep rolling and keep putting balls in the back of the net and let them do it as much. We do that, and we’ll keep winning games.” McGroarty credits the team’s toughness, hard work, and determination to their success thus far and will work towards improving their standings.

The Explorers will travel to Richmond for their next in-conference game of the season.

Eagles Remain Undefeated with Victory Over Jaguars

Sports

Charlie Hug, Staff

It’s been 18 years since Philadelphia sports fans have felt this much excitement over the Eagles. The Birds’ 4-0 start to the season marks the first time that this has happened since the 2004 season, which ultimately resulted in a Super Bowl appearance. After this Sunday’s win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, there is a widespread belief that history might repeat itself.

The fourth week of the NFL season brought us Doug Pederson’s much-anticipated return back to the City of Brotherly Love. Under the pouring rains of Hurricane Ian, the former Eagles head coach was welcomed back to Lincoln Financial Field with an overwhelming standing ovation after bringing the city its first Super Bowl trophy back in 2017. Unfortunately, this was most likely the highlight of Pederson’s day.

The Eagles came out slow to start the game, allowing 14 quick points to the Jaguars after an interception off of Jalen Hurts was returned for a touchdown on the first drive, and was followed by a quick offensive touchdown scored by the Jaguars with 3:50 left in the first quarter. The Eagles Defense bounced back in a big way, holding the Jaguars without a point for the following three quarters until they finally scored a touchdown with 7:19 left in the game. The defense was led once again by Hassan Reddick and the defensive line, who collectively forced five fumbles throughout the game, four of which were recovered by the Eagles. James Bradberry tacked on an interception at the end of the second quarter to give the Eagles defense five total turnovers on the day. Through four weeks, the Philadelphia defense has now tallied five interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and 16 sacks, making them one of the most intimidating defenses in the league.

On the offensive side of the ball, Jalen Hurts finally showed signs that he is, indeed, human, throwing for 204 yards, one interception, and zero touchdowns. He did rush for one touchdown, but it was all Miles Sanders offensively for the Eagles. It was a breakout day for the fourth year back out of Penn State, one that has been long-awaited for by Philly fans. Sanders racked up 156 total yards and two touchdowns, reaching career highs in both rushes (27) and rushing yards (134) while also scoring his most touchdowns in a game in the past two years. Call it a product of the bad weather or just a great player due for a great game, Miles Sanders’ performance this past Sunday definitely turned some heads for fans who had started to doubt the young star’s backfield presence.

Coming into Week 5, the Eagles could not feel more confident. They stand as the only undefeated team remaining in the league and have already taken down some highly-regarded teams. Week 5’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals could prove to be one of the Eagles’ tougher matchups so far this season, but with a 2-2 record and two tight wins against mediocre teams, this game could be a chance for the Cardinals to show whether they are true competitors this year. Arizona’s only two losses have both come at home this season, which is where the Eagles will face them next Sunday at 4:25 EST.

Men’s Soccer Team Decanonizes St. Bonnaventures

Sports

Enrique Carrasco. Editor

On Sat. Oct. 1, the La Salle Explorers men’s soccer team faced off against St. Bonnaventures for what would be their third conference game of the season. The Explorers entered the game sitting at a 2-5-2 record (1-1 in conference play), while the Bonnies entered the game sitting at a 3-5-1 record (0-2 in conference play). Both teams sought to improve their standings within the conference, and the Bonnies were looking for their first conference win of the season.

The game was off to a slow start, with the Explorers and the Bonnies maintaining the ball near the midfield, with neither of them making any actual attempts on goal. It was not until the 18th minute of the contest that the Bonnies were able to filter a perfect pass into the box, where the Bonnie’s forward was able to strike it and find the back of the net, putting the Bonnies up 0-1. Their glory was short-lived, however, when fifth-year forward Omari Cotterell drew a foul right outside of the penalty box. Cotterell was able to get the ball over the wall of St. Bonnie’s defenders and deliver a dagger into the spirit of the Bonnies, finding the top corner with ease. The Explorers continued their aggressive approach throughout the rest of the half, shooting the ball off nine more times, with none of them getting past the goalkeeper. The Explorers went into halftime with the game tied at 1-1.

The start of the second half was similar to the start of the first half, with neither team doing much besides keeping the ball at the midfield. This pattern continued until the 56th minute of the contest, when fifth-year forward Nigel Buckley was able to get a rocket past the goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner of the net, putting the Explorers up 2-1. The Bonnies were determined not to go down without a fight and kept the pressure on the Explorers for the remainder of the match. The defense, however, showed that they came to play, with them only allowing one shot on the cage in the half, with this only shot being perfectly stopped by Freshman Goalkeeper Filip Sabatti, maintaining the score at 2-1 for the rest of the game, giving the Explorers a 2-1 win, and their third consecutive win over the Bonnies sine 2019 (No sports were played in 2020).

This is truly the only time I can say the Explorers have played at their full potential all season long, and I have no real complaints against them. The team seems to be firing on all cylinders, and the players are looking good. The momentum they have accumulated thus far only seems to grow each passing game, and the Explorers are playing some of the best soccer I have seen in my three years at La Salle. Coach Taylor Thames and co. have been doing an excellent job in preparing the boys for tough matchups like this one, and I, for one, cannot wait to see how the Explorers fare against other teams in the A-10.

The Eagles Continue Hot Streak with Victory Over Commanders

Sports

Charlie Hug, Staff

The Eagles came into Week 3 hot after back-to-back wins against the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. Playing in front of the thousands of Philly fans who took the trek down to Landover, Maryland, the Eagles kept their momentum going in a 24-8 rout over the Washington Commanders. In the team’s first meeting with former quarterback Carson Wentz, it was all defense in the first quarter for the Eagles. The team recorded four sacks on Wentz in the first quarter, making them the first team with four sacks in an opening quarter since 2019 and the first Eagles defense to do so since 1991. Coming into the game, the defense was perhaps the biggest question surrounding this Eagles team. After allowing 35 points to the sub-par Detroit Lions, they followed by allowing only 7 points to the reigning NFC North champion, the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 3, the Eagles defense showed that they are officially locked, ultimately ending the game with nine sacks – the most of any team this season- and three forced fumbles on Carson Wentz.

As for the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles once again showed why they are one of only three undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. Early MVP candidate, Jalen Hurts, continued his spectacular start to the season with another masterful game. He completed 22 of his 35 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, earning him a QBR of 123.5. This came as a result of a career day from second-year wide receiver Devonta Smith. Smith could not be stopped on Sunday, securing eight catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. The highlight of the day was an incredible 44-yard leaping catch by Smith to put the Eagles at the Commanders’ 1-yard line with 25 seconds left in the first half. Smith was then able to cap off the drive with another highlight catch in the endzone to put the Eagles up 24-0 heading into the half.

The Eagles get to stay home and play in front of the Philly faithful in Week 4 against a Jacksonville Jaguars team coming off a big win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Should the Eagles pull out a win at home, they look poised to head into their Week 7 bye with an undefeated record after matchups against the inconsistent Arizona Cardinals and the banged-up Dallas Cowboys. The biggest questions still following the Eagles this season: Will Jalen Hurts be able to keep up his MVP-caliber play, and will the defense be able to stay consistent in both the front and back fields? This week’s matchup against Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars should be able to prove just that.

Men’s Soccer team grounds the Hawks in 2-1 win

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

On Sat., Sept. 24, the La Salle Explorers Men’s soccer team traveled to St. Joseph’s University for their second conference game of the season. The Explorers went into the game 1-5-2 in the season (0-1 in conference play) and were looking to better their record, as well as their standings within the conference.

The game was off to a rough start for the Explorers when Junior defender Aimar Leunda lost control of the ball in the backfield, allowing St Joe to get possession, cross the ball, and ultimately find the back of the net only 18 seconds into the game. It seemed like this goal really affected their game plan, as the Hawks maintained most of the momentum in the first half of the game. Towards the end of the first half, the Explorers gave away a crucial penalty kick after a handball call was made inside of the penalty box. Luckily, Freshman Goalkeeper Filip Sabatti was able to dive low in the perfect direction, perfectly stopping the penalty shot from the Hawks. This penalty stop gave the Explorers the momentum that they needed, and the team seemed like a completely new team. La Salle ended the half down 1-0 but carried all the momentum in the game.

At the beginning of the second half, the explorers continued their momentum and came out of the locker room in full swing. The Explorers were full of energy and continued their aggressive offense to full effect. It was not until the 73rd minute of the game that the Explorers were able to tie the game after Sophomore defender Andres Rodriguez was able to get the ball past the keeper by capitalizing on a blocked shot that rebounded to him. The Explorers used this lapse in defense to their advantage, and two minutes after their first goal, were once again able to find the back of the net after Omari Cotterell was able to send a long pass down the field to a wide-open Nigel Buckley. Buckley drove the ball down the field and managed to put the Explorers up 2-1. St Joe’s did not give up so easily, though, having several corner kicks in the final minutes of the game. Despite this, the Explorer’s defense was able to hold strong and maintained the team’s lead until the end of the game.

Despite this win for the Explorers, a dark cloud still looms over the team. The team is still 2-5-2 in the season and every game from here on out counts. The Explorers have had trouble finishing attacks, and this has translated to the various defeats the Explorers have suffered. The Explorers must ensure that they win every game from here on out if they want any possibility of making it to the playoffs. This win over the hawks was a perfect step in the right direction for the Explorers, and cannot wait to see what they do next.

Field Hockey defeats Rider at home

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

On Sunday, Sept. 11, the Explorers faced off against the Rider Broncs for their home opener game. The Explorers came into the game on a 3-game losing streak and were looking to end the streak with a win at home. The game was off to a slow start in the first quarter, where the defense stole the show on both sides of the ball. The quarter ended with only two shots, both of which came from the Explorers. The Explorers seemed to pick up the pace during the second quarter, where they not only doubled their shots but also managed to come away with their first goal of the contest at the 28th minute. The goal came after a corner pass from Junior forward Tatum Johnson to Sophomore Defender Sofia Pla, who then got the shot off, but the ball ricocheted off of the goal post. Freshman defender Malena Balduzzi then recovered the shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Johnson was able to scoop up the rebound and get the ball past the goalkeeper, putting the Explorers up 1-0 before the end of the half.
The Explorers seemed to carry the momentum through halftime as they came out of the break full of energy and drive. The second goal of the contest came from yet another corner, where Johnson passed the ball to Pla, who was able to rip a shot and give the Explorers a two-goal advantage over the Broncs. It wasn’t until the end of the last quarter that Pla once again took a shot on goal after a pass from the corner, although the shot was saved by the Broncs’ goalkeeper, Junior Forward Paige Doyle was able to capture the rebound and put the ball past the keeper, putting the explorers up 3-0 at the end of the game.

In an interview after the game, Sophomore Sofia Pla stated, “I was excited [after the win]; I felt like we needed that win more than anything.” The Explorers went on a 3-game losing streak prior to this win, giving them a 2-3 record. Thanks to this win against the Broncs, the Explorers improved their record to 3-3. In regard to this, Pla stated, “Winning at home, having everyone staying despite the rain made it great… I feel like the team felt happy to see the hard work we had been putting into practice actually work. We came from three consecutive hard losses, so winning as we won on Sunday was a great way of ending the bad streak. The team felt good and comfortable at home, we managed to capitalize out of APC’s [Attack penalty corner], and we got our three goals out of it.”

The Explorer’s victory over the Broncs marks their first win over them since 2018. The Explorers advanced to a 5-win and 10-loss record against the Broncs, with this win being the highest margin of victory for the Explorers over the Broncs. Next up, the explorers will travel to Lock Haven for their first conference game of the season.

Men’s soccer goes 1-1-1 to start the season

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

With the new school year off to a hot start, it was only a matter of time before sports returned to 20th and Olney. Luckily, that is what we got this first week back on campus and the week before. Men’s soccer started their season at home against Stonehill, later traveling to St. Francis Brooklyn, ending their trifecta of games at McCarthy stadium, facing off against the Manhattan Jaspers.

In their season opener, the Explorers were off to a rough start, with a goal from Stonehill coming at the 4th minute of the game. Despite the early deficit faced by the Explorers, they pushed through, and after 39 minutes without a single goal, fifth-year student Omari Cottorel was able to find the back of the net after a pass from Giammarco Rodio, equalizing the game right before halftime.

The Explorers carried the momentum coming out of the break, and in the 51st minute, Junior Justin Brunow was able to score the go-ahead goal after a rebound shot came off the keeper. Shortly after Brunow’s goal, Senior Midfielder Isak Sedin was able to find the top corner, putting the Explorers up 3-1. It was then that Cottorel was once again able to put the ball past the keeper, increasing the Explorer’s lead to 4-1. Despite this astonishing lead, Stonehill refused to go down without a fight, scoring two more goals in rapid succession, tightening the game up at the 66th minute. It was not until transfer student Talla Faye scored in the final minute of the game that the game was indeed out of reach for Stonehill.

After this, the Explorers traveled to Brooklyn, where they were defeated 3-0, moving them to 1-1 in out-of-conference play.

The Explorers then traveled back to 20th and Olney and faced off against the Manhattan Jaspers. The first half was full of physical plays and an abundance of yellow cards. In the 42nd minute, one of the Jaspers received his second yellow card of the game, thus putting the Explorers at a man-up advantage for the remainder of the game. Despite this, the Jaspers were able to score in the 47th minute, putting them up 1-0. The equalizing goal came soon after, with Sophomore forward Giammarco Rodio putting the ball past the goalkeeper and scoring. The score remained the same until the end of the game, with the draw bringing the Explorers to a 1-1-1 record.

Although the trifecta of games only brought a single win to the Explorers, there was an abundance of positive notes for the young Explorer squad. Despite losing many starters this off-season, most noticeably Center back Franc Gamiz Quer, whose presence single-handedly changed the pace of the Explorer’s soccer, the team seems to have amazing chemistry. The younger players on the squad seem to be learning fast from the upperclassmen, and coach Taylor Thames is training the Men properly, bringing them up to a Division I standard. If these trends continue into the season, it’ll be interesting to see how far the squad can go.

Raptors dominate 76ers in game five

Sports

KC Medico, Staff

Cover picture courtesy of ESPN

The Toronto Raptors walked into a hostile Philadelphia crowd and defeated the 76ers 103-88. This win makes the series 3-2 still favoring the 76ers.

From the beginning, turnovers were a problem for the Sixers as in the first quarter they had six turnovers. Even with turnovers, they were able to keep the game close as the closing score of the first was 29-27 Raptors.

It wasn’t until the second quarter when the Raptors blew the game out of the water. They started the quarter with a 12-0 run and the Sixers couldn’t recover. With Raptors All-Star Fred Van Fleet out with a left hip flexor strain they looked to this year’s Rookie of the Year winner Scottie Barnes as he scored eight points in the quarter.

“We always kind of figure it out,” stated Raptors forward Pascal Siakim.

The Sixers would miss their first nine shots of the quarter and didn’t score until the six minute mark. At halftime the Raptors were up 54-41. With boos raining in from the Wells Fargo, the Sixers would have to find a way to turn it around.

With the Raptors tall lineup staying in for most of the game it was clear the Sixers were having a tough time offensively. The Sixers finished the game only making 38.8 percent of their shots from the field and only 27 percent of their three point shots. 76ers center and MVP finalist Joel Embiid stated in his post-game press conference “We all need to be better offensively. We missed a bunch of wide-open shots. At times, I just felt like we just invited, when I was getting doubled, we were not aggressive attacking the ball. We just kept moving the ball around the perimeter, and that gave them time to recover, and that’s why [we] were not able to get anything out of it.”

As it seems with most of the NBA at this point in the season, many stars are getting hurt including Embiid. Embiid has a torn ligament in his right thumb. Most players have surgery and sit out for six or more weeks, however Embiid is fighting through his injury and planning on playing until the season is over. Even with a bad hand Embiid was still the leading scorer for the Sixers putting up 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

The Raptors were able to capitalize on the Sixers mistakes and make plenty of shots. The Raptors shot 51.2 percent from the field. The Raptors would go on to win with ease. With momentum leaning towards Toronto, head coach for the Raptors Nick Nurse is not letting that distract him or his players. “Maybe there is (momentum) but it doesn’t really matter… Ball goes up on Thursday, everybody’s gotta play like heck.”With a red hot Toronto Raptors team and a lackluster 76ers squad tensions are high going into game six which is sure to be a great matchup in Toronto.

Women’s water polo wins the weekend against MAAC and Philly rivals

Sports

Mia Mattingly, Staff

In a string of home games, La Salle’s water polo team went two for three in play for the weekend, edging out teams such as Iona and Villanova, while losing to MAAC conference leader and nationally ranked Wagner. This weekend also allowed the Explorers to yet again start another winning streak this season, with their longest win streak being 12 games, a record for the program in its five year history.

The first game of the weekend was Saturday afternoon against nationally ranked number 15 Wagner, where La Salle fell 21-11, but several Explorers saw goals throughout the four quarters, such as Shanna Zuanich, Jaycee Morris, Francesca Co, Kalista Hyham, Hannah Woren, Tatum Lomax, Sarah Defusco and Sophia Boettner. Both of the team’s goalies, Emma Gurasich and Caitlin Valentine, spent time in the goal and together totaled eight saves across the game.

Later that evening, the team hopped back into Kirk pool to take on Iona, a team they had beaten twice before already that season, 14-11 and 15-14, respectively. La Salle pulled ahead at the beginning by two, but the game continued to go back and forth with both the Gaels and the Explorers, both trading leads on different occasions. It was Defusco’s goal on a man up for the Explorers in the last minute of the game that allowed the team to secure the lead for the rest of the game and Hyham’s goal in the last seconds of the game to ensure the win. The Gaels did have an impressive buzzer beater goal, but that was not enough in the end, with the final score being 17-16.

The final game of the weekend was an early afternoon game against Villanova, who are not only rivals for the water polo team, but for the school as well. A win against Villanova is always a big deal on campus and the water polo team was able to pull it off successfully. The game was most definitely an intense one, with the scores being relatively close and only within two goals for a majority of the game. However, the Explorers going 4-1 in the last quarter solidified the final win of the weekend for the team against the Wildcats. In an impressive fashion, Co’ and Hyham both scored five goals apiece, meaning that the two combined totaled for 10 of the 12 goals, with the final score of the game being 12-9.

It is also worth noting that this weekend helped Hyham reach a total of 16 points for the weekend and 13 goals, which was enough to earn her a nomination for the NovaCare student athlete of the week, while also breaking the season record for amount of goals scored by reaching 99 goals on the season.

The team is now on a two game winning streak, which they look to extend this weekend when they play Philly rivals Villanova yet again at Villanova at 5 p.m. Friday and then Virginia Military Institute at 10 a.m. for the final home and conference game of the season.

Phillies eighth inning rally wins over the Mets

Sports

KC Medico, Staff

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated their division rivals the New York Mets 5-4 in the first game of their series. Both teams are coming into this series with only one loss and are looking to get an early edge in the standings over their opponent.

Many critics of the Phillies pointed out that they have two weaknesses: pitching and defense. Both were on display during the first three innings. In the first inning, the Phillies gave up three runs. Ranger Suarez, the starting pitcher for the Phillies, didn’t get much help from his defense, especially Alec Bohm.

Alec Bohm had three errors during the game, a career high for him. His first error is what started the Mets to go on their 3-0 tear.

After throwing 63 pitches, Suarez was pulled in the third inning for Nick Nelson. Nelson shined as he came in and pitched the next three innings without allowing a hit. Phillies manager Joe Giradi stated in his post-game interview “you know the guy that probably won’t get a ton of attention is Nick Nelson. The job that he did, I mean he saved our bullpen… He did a tremendous job.”

In the top of the seventh Nelson walked James McCann who would eventually steal second base, however, Nelson was able to get lineouts on the next two hitters. Giradi figured it was time for pitcher Seranthony Dominguez to take the mound as Nelson threw 45 total pitches. With a runner on second, shortstop Francisco Lindor would pull the ball into right field which would score McCann to put the Mets up 4-0. The Phillies needed a miracle and it would eventually come in the bottom eighth inning and started by none other than Alec Bohm.

Bohm, who struggled early on defensively, would shine with the bat. Bohm was able to start the rally by getting walked to first. Bohm would finish the game with a double and two walks. Phillies subbed Johan Carmargo for Matt Vierling and would single to right to bring Bohm to third. With Schwarber bringing the top of the order to the plate he grounded to a fielder’s choice at second. The play would bring Bohm home to make the score 4-1.

Up came J.T. Realmuto, and with a man on first, blasted one into left field for a two run shot cutting the deficit to one. Bryce Harper, after swinging out, would leave the Phillies with two outs. Nick Castellanos took a walk which left Rhys Hoskins to send a line drive down the left side which would bring Castellanos home and Hoskins to second. With a tie ballgame shortstop, Didi Gregorous would send a ball into the gap making the game 5-4 Phillies. With a fist-pump at second and the fans at Citizens Bank Park roaring, all the Phillies would have to do is rely on their defense and pitching. With Segura going out swinging, Brad Hand was brought in to save the Phillies.

Brad Hand and the Phillies were able to put away the Mets with ease in the final innings of the game, winning the first game of their four game series. With such a heated rivalry, the rest of the series will be must watch TV.